Richard III of England

Richard III of England (2 October 1452-22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 to 22 August 1485, succeeding Edward V and preceding Henry VII. Richard was a devious and cruel man, having his own brother, the Duke of Clarence, murdered in the Tower of London in order to clear the way for his own accession to the throne. He usurped the throne from his nephew Edward to reign as king for two years, but he was killed in battle with Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Duke of Gloucester
Richard was born on 2 October 1452 at Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire, England, the son of Richard of York and Cecily Neville. His father and elder brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland were killed at the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460, and Richard was raised in exile in the Low Countries until after the Battle of Towton, upon which his eldest brother became "King Edward IV of England". Richard became Duke of Gloucester, and he married Anne Neville, a scion of a rival family.

Richard harbored ambitions for the throne, and dedicated himself to task and planned to frame his brother, George, Duke of Clarence, for conspiring to kill the King, and to have George sent to the Tower of London, by claiming George would murder Edward's heirs. He then told Clarence that he would help him get out of the Tower. Having confused and deceived the King, Richard proceeded with his plans after getting a warrant, and enlisted two ruffians to carry out his dirty work: George was murdered, drowned in a butt of wine. Though Edward had sent a pardon to Richard, Richard stopped it passing.

Richard then orchestrated disorder in the court, fueling rivalries, and setting the court against the Queen consort, Elizabeth Woodville. The King, weakened by exhaustion, appointed Richard as Lord Protector, and died soon after hearing of the death of George. Edward's son, soon to become Edward V of England, was met by Richard whilst en route to London. Richard had the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Hastings arrested and executed, and forced the young King, along with his younger brother the Duke of York, to have a protracted stay at the Tower of London. With all obstacles now removed, Richard enlisted the help of his cousin the Duke of Buckingham to alter his public image, and to become popular with the people. In doing so, Richard became the people's first choice to become the new King.

King of England
Buckingham had aided Richard on terms of being given the title of Earl of Hereford and its income, but balked at the idea of murdering the Princes in the Tower. Richard then asked a minor knight, Sir James Tyrrell, eager for advancement, to have young Edward and the Duke of York killed in the Tower of London. Buckingham, having requested his earldom at Richard's coronation, feared for his life when Richard (angry at Buckingham for not killing the princes) shouts "I am not in the giving vein today!" Buckingham then joined the opposition against Richard's rule. Buckingham led a failed uprising against the King, and he was executed. However, Henry Tudor invaded Wales with an army, and the King was forced to meet him in battle. On 25 August 1485, the two armies met in the Battle of Bosworth Field, and Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby betrayed Richard in battle. Richard was fatally wounded by Lancastrian troops as he duelled Stanley in single combat, and Richard died on the field. Richard's crown, which had fallen onto a thorn bush, was then given to Henry Tudor, who became the new king.